Sea Eagles v Eels NRL Rd 8 betting picks | Friday, April 26

Manly v Parramatta best bets

Sea Eagles v Eels match preview

Round eight of the 2024 NRL Premiership continues on Friday night as the struggling Parramatta Eels travel to 4 Pines Park to take on the high-flying Manly Sea Eagles.

The Eels have come under enormous pressure following their dismal loss to the Dolphins in Darwin. They sit 14th on the NRL ladder with just three wins.

The Sea Eagles are fifth on the ladder after surviving with the Titans on the Gold Coast in round seven. They are undefeated in three games, and that run includes a 32-18 victory over the Panthers.

Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold has named Nathan Brown to return from a knee injury via the bench, with Aitasi James dropping out of the squad. Otherwise, there are no changes to the line-up.

Eels coach Brad Arthur has swung the axe, cutting Bryce Cartwright and Sean Russell from the starting side while naming Ryan Matterson in the second row and Maika Sivo on the wing. Daejarn Asi is out with concussion, allowing Ethan Sanders to make his NRL debut at five-eighth. Luca Moretti has been dropped from the bench, with Kelma Tuilagi named to take his place.

Manly Sea Eagles v Parramatta Eels predictions

While the Eels have won four of their last five matches against the Sea Eagles, the home team has won 11 of the last 13 matches between these two clubs. Manly have shown they can rack up a score against anyone, while Parramatta are in poor form and must now deal with an untried halves pairing. Look for the Sea Eagles to put on a show in front of their fans and win by 13 or more points (+120).

Right now, Manly’s spine combination of Tom Trbojevic, Daly Cherry-Evans and Luke Brooks can match any in the NRL. The Sea Eagles have scored 30 or more points in three matches this year, and each of their last six matches against the Eels at home have gone over the total points line. Expect another high-scoring match with more than 44.5 points scored (-111.11).

In the reverse fixture, Manly fullback Trbojevic scored a try and broke six tackles while running for 175 metres. Last week, he dominated the Titans with two line breaks, five tackle breaks, 196 running metres and two tries. Expect his strong form to continue with another tryscoring double (+270).

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